Forget the french fries for your burger! Clean out your pantry and fridge with this recipe for deep-fried bell peppers with homemade horseradish mayo dip.
Cut your bell peppers, approximately 4, width wise at about 1/4 inch in thickness to create rings. Leave your rings of peppers on a paper towel for excess moisture to be absorbed into the towel while you prepare the rest of the steps.
Crack eggs into a bowl and add the heavy whipping cream and hot sauce. Use a fork or whisk to blend together.
In a larger bowl combined either 1 1/2 cups of panko bread crumbs OR 2 cups of croutons/stale bread that have been smashed to a powder-like consistency, to the rest of the dry ingredients. You can also add freshly minced parsley or dried parsley in this step for added flavor.
Heat a semi-shallow pan or dutch oven over medium heat with approximately 32 oz of vegetable oil until bubbling or 360 F.
Once the oil is ready, coat your bell pepper rings thoroughly in the egg mixture, then the dredge in the dry ingredients, and straight into the hot oil.
Peppers will fry quickly, only about a minute. You'll be able to tell when they are done based on the golden brown color of the breading. Remove them and place on a plate with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Mayo-Horseradish Dip
Depending on how much you want to make, the following is my preferred ratio for this two-ingredient dip: 1/2 cup mayo to 1/2 Tablespoon of horseradish. Adjust amounts for your desired quantity.
Notes
**The process itself is messy and oil is prone to splatter due to the peppers high water content. Keep children out of the kitchen for this and wear protective clothing like long sleeves and/or an apron.**If you're making a large batch, you can place the fried peppers on a baking sheet in a low-temperature oven (about 250 F) until you're ready to serve.